


epilogue after epilogue

by racetrackshiggins



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: (sort of), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:54:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22698967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/racetrackshiggins/pseuds/racetrackshiggins
Summary: Suddenly it hits him: he can't imagine being without Richie, and hasn't been able to for the longest time.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 4
Kudos: 77





	epilogue after epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> title is from [epilogue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDd6N3Masfo) from natasha, pierre & the great comet of 1812 bc i will literally never be over this musical
> 
> a massive thank you to constance, beth, casey, mony, bonnie, and kris, plus the pjfa server!! y’all are the reason i’m publishing this 💖

It's been two years since they defeated It, and, more importantly, Eddie got his head out of his ass and admitted that, not only is he gay, but he was, and absolutely still is, in love with his childhood best friend. And by some miracle, said man loves him back, and apparently always has.

Eddie remembers going back to the place he shared with Myra, sitting her down, and calmly telling her he was leaving. He heard Richie's voice in his head, telling him he doesn't need his inhaler, that he’s brave, repeating it to himself as a mantra. Surprisingly, he didn't lose his nerve or start panicking during this conversation, probably because he knew Richie was just outside, waiting for Eddie so they could start their life together.

Then he packed up his things and left.

(It's one of the best things he's ever done in his life.)

Despite his over-the-top jokes and lack of a filter, Richie is such a grounding presence in Eddie's life. He helps Eddie through his (luckily now rare) panic attacks, and Eddie's there when Richie wakes from nightmares about Eddie's brush with death. On those nights, they hold each other close, just listening to each other's breathing and heartbeat, irrefutable proof the other is alive and they're together.

One night they're lying in bed, limbs tangled together and no space between their bodies, their usual sleeping arrangement. As they lie there in each other's arms, Richie resting his head on his chest as Eddie idly plays with his hair, Eddie revels in the feeling of comfort, of safety, of love. There's no place he'd rather be than in his boyfriend's arms.

After all they've been through - a goddamn killer clown, getting out of Derry, managing not to kill each other as they adjusted to living together (okay, he might be slightly exaggerating there, but they did have some rough patches along the way) - suddenly it hits him: he can't imagine being without Richie, and hasn't been able to for the longest time. Eddie actually wants to spend the rest of his life with this asshole.

He feels so fucking dumb for taking this long to realize it.

Any hope of sleep goes right out the window, and Eddie has to know if they're on the same page right now. "Rich?" He nudges his boyfriend gently. "Babe, you awake?"

The action elicits a small "hmph" from the other man. Burying his face into Eddie's neck, Richie mumbles "No."

Eddie chuckles. "You literally just responded to me, dipshit." He gently tugs on Richie's hair to get him to look up. "It's important."

Richie hums at the action; he loves when Eddie plays with his hair (something Eddie admittedly has taken advantage of more times than he can count). "More so than sleep?"

"Yes." The seriousness in his voice succeeds in getting Richie's attention.

"Okay." Richie presses a light kiss to Eddie's shoulder then props himself up on his elbow as Eddie shifts onto his side to face him. When Eddie doesn't speak for a few moments, searching for the right words, Richie tucks a strand of Eddie's hair behind his ear and whispers, "I'm listening."

Finally, Eddie just blurts out "Do you wanna get married?"

Richie's eyes widen almost comically. "I'm sorry, what?"

Eddie repeats himself, a little slower but quieter. He feels his anxiety spiking: this isn't a good idea, how could he think this is a good idea, why the fuck is he asking this now-

Richie's voice cuts through his thoughts, an automatically calming sound. "This is a lot to spring on a guy at..." He reaches over Eddie to grab his phone. "...12:37 AM on a Tuesday night."

But Richie doesn't sound unreceptive to the idea, which is a good sign, right? So Eddie takes a deep breath then tries to clarify. "Look, I'm not officially asking-"

(He leaves the word "yet" unspoken for now.)

"-but I just wanna know if you see that in our future?"

A smile lights up Richie's face before he leans forward to kiss Eddie, gentle and unhurried. "I sorta always thought we'd end up there, Eds."

Richie's smile, his words, his honesty, the tenderness of the kiss, all take Eddie's breath away. "Really?"

"I do." The smirk on Richie's face tells Eddie the double entendre is intentional.

Eddie lightly pushes his shoulder, teasing more than anything else. "That was really cheesy, even for you."

Still grinning, Richie wraps his arms around him to pull him close and kisses him again. "You love it though."

Eddie rolls his eyes but can't stop himself from smiling. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Now look who's being cheesy."

"Don't ruin the moment, asshole."

"Would never dream of it." He kisses Eddie gently then pulls back and stifles a yawn. "Now can we go to sleep? I wanna be well-rested tomorrow so I can tell the whole world a guy like you actually wants to marry a guy like me."

"God, you're ridiculous, you know that?"

Richie just smiles then kisses Eddie's cheek before burying his face in his neck. Eddie chuckles then closes his eyes, ready to go to sleep. But before he can, Richie starts talking.

"You know, it's a good thing your mom's dead because it'd break her heart if I told her I was marrying you."

Eddie groans. "I take it back, this was a mistake."

"Nope it's too late now, you're stuck with me. Besides, you knew exactly what you were getting into when you started dating me."

"Alright, you have a point." Eddie presses a kiss to the top of his head. "I love you."

Richie hums and nuzzles his neck. "Love you too Eds."

Eddie falls asleep with a smile on his face, knowing he'll wake up next to the love of his life tomorrow and every day for the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on [tumblr](http://racetrackshiggins.tumblr.com/)!!
> 
> i also have an [it side blog](http://transeddiek.tumblr.com/)


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